Animals & Nature
Animals & Nature — 20 high-frequency words, with pronunciation, collocations, word traps and four interactive exercises.
📌 Contents
🎯 Lesson goal
Words for nature and animals 🦊, with the irregular plurals that everyone gets wrong (mouse → mice, sheep → sheep, goose → geese) and the right verbs for animals: a dog barks, a bird sings. Perfect for talking about the environment too. 🚀
🗂️ Word Bank
Tap 🔊 to hear the British pronunciation. The IPA transcription is under each word.
📖 Words in context
A walk in the national park · tap a highlighted word to hear it.
On Sunday we walked in the national park, where a ranger protects the local wildlife. She told us that the fastest mammal in Britain is the deer, and that every insect matters — especially the bee, without which the flowers would disappear.
We climbed a hill, crossed a field full of sheep and followed a stream into a small wood. A butterfly landed on my hand; a leaf fell from a branch above us. At the top, someone had left litter near the path, which made the ranger furious.
At sunset we saw a fox and heard an owl. "Ten years ago this species was endangered," she said. "Today the biggest problem is pollution in the river."
🔗 Collocations & chunks
Words travel in groups: learn the whole chunk, not just one word.
| Chunk / collocation | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a herd of cows | a large group of cows | A herd of cows blocked the road. |
| a flock of birds | a large group of birds | A flock of birds flew over us. |
| keep a pet | to have an animal at home | We keep a pet rabbit. |
| go for a walk | to walk for pleasure | Let's go for a walk in the wood. |
| protect the environment | to keep nature safe from harm | We must protect the environment. |
| die out | to disappear for ever (animals, plants) | Many species are dying out. |
⚠️ Word traps to avoid
| English word | Real meaning ✅ | Watch out ❌ |
|---|---|---|
| actual | real, what is true in fact | not “at the present time”: that is current or present |
| nature | plants, animals and the natural world | in the wild, not “in nature”; no “the” in general statements |
| pet | an animal kept at home | not a part of the body: chest is the upper front of your body |
| plant | a living plant; a factory | two meanings: a chemical plant is a factory, not a flower |
🎚️ Register: when to use them
| Expression | Register | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Look at that little guy! | very informal | with friends, when you see an animal |
| What a beautiful animal. | neutral | always appropriate |
| This species is protected. | formal | signs, guidebooks, scientific texts |
| Wildlife conservation is essential. | academic | essays, exams, articles |
🚫 Common mistakes to avoid
| Mistake ❌ | Correct ✅ |
|---|---|
| I saw two sheeps. | I saw two sheep. |
| There are many mouses in the barn. | There are many mice in the barn. |
| The dog was barking to me. | The dog was barking at me. |
| I love the nature. | I love nature. |
🎮 Vocabulary gym
Four ways to practise the same 20 words. Your progress is saved on this device.
Tap the card to flip it.
Tap an English word, then its meaning. Eight pairs per round.
Complete the ten sentences with the right word. The clue under each sentence will help you.
- The park protects local .💡 animals and plants living in nature
- A whale is a , not a fish.💡 an animal that feeds its babies milk
- This is completely harmless.💡 a small animal with six legs
- A landed on my book.💡 a small striped flying animal that makes honey
- A blue crossed the path.💡 a flying animal with big, colourful wings
- There were fifty on the hill.💡 a farm animal with thick wool
- A ran under the door.💡 a small grey animal with a long tail
- A red lives in that wood.💡 a wild red-brown animal like a small dog
- We heard an at midnight.💡 a bird that hunts at night
- Don't the animals.💡 to give food to an animal or person